On December 12, Ashgabat hosted a plenary session of the Forum for Peace and Confidence in Turkmenistan. During the session, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow delivered a keynote speech. According to TDH, Gahryman Arkadag's speech, in particular, stated:

"Dear Heads of Delegations and Members of Delegations!

I warmly welcome you to Turkmenistan and express my deep satisfaction with your active participation in the Peace and Confidence Building Forum. This forum brought together leaders and representatives of many countries of the world, major international organizations, politicians, diplomats, and public figures. The wide representation of participants in this important political event is a recognition of the respect and trust placed in Turkmenistan, the positive role of our country in international politics, and its contribution to strengthening global peace and security. The issues to be discussed at the forum include strengthening stability, ensuring rapid and sustainable development of world countries, consideration of a number of measures of a social and humanitarian nature, and other aspects of the global agenda that is currently before us.

Dear forum participants!

During 2025, within the framework of the International Year of Peace and Confidence, Turkmenistan, together with partners from other countries, multilateral associations and institutions, carried out purposeful and positive foreign policy activities. These activities were carried out at various levels in regional and international formats and were united by the common goal of creating conditions for the positive and effective development of international relations, restoring trust in world politics, and establishing a culture of respectful dialogue. Today, these principles and goals are of particular importance.

In the context of the emergence of different approaches to many aspects of the world order, Turkmenistan's initiative to declare 2025 the "Year of Peace and International Confidence" is legitimate. In this regard, the Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly, being an important event of our time, has been highly appreciated by the UN member states, the entire world community, political and diplomatic groups. It has become a very significant event in the minds of people involved in the adoption of decisions in the field of international relations. Many countries have realized that when discussing the most important issues in this area, broad opportunities are opening up for creating a positive, mutually respectful dialogue.

Of course, our initiative is not accidental. This initiative has become a natural stage in the long-term efforts of Turkmenistan as a peace-loving, neutral state, aimed at the peaceful, stable conduct of international relations, the creation of positive conditions for resolving various complex situations only through political and diplomatic means and methods. The International Year of Peace and Confidence creates such an opportunity. Accordingly, its significance, in fact, reaches a global level. Currently, the world is going through a difficult period associated with various situations. At this time, the unification of all responsible, healthy, peace-loving forces, their unity and readiness to confront complex situations and threats that threaten the destruction of the global security architecture are more necessary than ever.

Turkmenistan, putting forward the initiative of peace and trust based on dialogue as the only means for a viable, realistic approach to current world issues, proceeds from the need to more actively and effectively use all the opportunities of politics and diplomacy, public opinion, historical experience, accumulated humanitarian and cultural heritage. In this regard, the positive coordination of the opportunities of all states, regardless of the socio-political structure, size, population, and other circumstances of the world community, requires political wisdom, willpower, and commitment to one's own views. Today, we are responsible for the future of the world. When I say such unity, I mean, first of all, the United Nations Organization. It is necessary to use the opportunities of the UN as the only international organization with multilateral legitimacy and authority. Cooperation based on peace and trust is based on the existence of clear and transparent principles of the recognized political and legal foundations enshrined in the UN Charter, as well as the principles of equality, mutual respect, sovereignty, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states. Adhering to these principles will ensure peacekeeping, clarity of action, and allow us to rebuild the pillars of a culture of dialogue with each other.

Currently, promoting the doctrine of peace and trust requires, in addition to traditional diplomacy, the use of parliamentary ways of conducting negotiations, the effective use of women's and youth diplomacy. Our country is making great efforts for this. Only in recent years has Turkmenistan held major events in this area on its territory, including representative international and regional forums. In this regard, we are guided by the fact that public diplomacy, which has additional tools for influencing the adoption of political decisions, can and should be an important support for official diplomacy.

Information dialogue plays an important role in the conduct of positive interstate relations based on respect. We consider this direction as an important component of the doctrine of peace and trust, as well as the global initiative “Dialogue is the guarantor of peace”, which Turkmenistan put forward several years ago. The mass media should be used only for creative purposes. For this, cybercrime and the spread of blatantly false information in the media space should be firmly prevented.

We consider the principles of peace and trust to be a continuous, forward-looking international dialogue of cooperation. It should cover a wide range of activities. In this regard, we consider it important to expand the scope of the principle of peace and trust to address such important social issues as climate change, access to clean drinking water, air, modern medicine, primary education, and ensuring food security.

We propose to develop, together with partners from interested countries and international organizations, a "Roadmap" of promising new cooperation under the auspices of the principles of peace and trust. We are ready to discuss the essence and organizational aspects of this initiative.

Dear forum participants!

Today, December 12, Turkmenistan celebrates a historic date - the 30th anniversary of the recognition of the permanent status of Neutrality of the state by the international community. During this period, Turkmen Neutrality has demonstrated its viability, its full compliance with national goals, strategic objectives and trends in the world arena. The effective, stabilizing impact of Turkmenistan's Neutrality on the development of regional relations, mutually beneficial friendly and fraternal relations between the states of Central Asia and its neighboring countries and regions - our long-standing partners - is undeniable. Work experience has proven that the fundamental principles of Turkmen Neutrality fully comply with the priorities of the UN, the implementation of its large-scale programs and strategies.

Our country is always ready to direct the opportunities of its Neutrality to the establishment of peace, mutual understanding, cooperation, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Permanent Neutrality determines the achievement of Turkmenistan's goals in the international space, including through the use of such tools as preventive diplomacy, active peacebuilding, and mediation.

Turkmenistan has put forward a number of initiatives, including the creation of a UN Mediation Chamber and the granting of the status of "preferred partner" to neutral and non-aligned states within the framework of this organization's peacebuilding efforts. In doing so, we are guided by the need to expand the geography of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and enhance their powers.

I would like to emphasize that for Turkmenistan, the status of Neutrality is not just a model of foreign policy. Neutrality is the basis of our worldview, understanding of our place and responsibility as a state and people, and our unique contribution to the development of modern civilization. The concepts of neutrality, peace, and mutual respect and understanding are enshrined at the legislative level and determine the essence of Turkmenistan's foreign policy and internal state structure. Accordingly, our Neutrality is immutable, stable to external conditions and situations, and temporarily changing circumstances. Turkmenistan firmly links all approaches, initiatives, and actions to global, regional, and bilateral issues on the agenda with its permanent status of Neutrality.

Dear friends!

Today's forum is a clear and unambiguous call to the countries of the world to increase responsibility, foresight, solidarity, and to unite the efforts of the international community in the interests of peace and development. We believe that the ideals of peace and trust will find support from the League of Nations as a fundamental political and philosophical doctrine and will become an effective platform for creating a modern, strong, unified global architecture of the future. Great tasks await us together to improve international relations, restore trust, and a culture of political dialogue. Today's forum is an important step in this direction.

Dear forum participants!

We are completing the work of the international forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Confidence, the International Day of Neutrality, and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan's Neutrality. During today's meeting, very important proposals and concepts, valuable initiatives and ideas were expressed. There is no doubt that they will receive worthy support and understanding. They will be used in political and diplomatic work, cooperation between states, and the work of international organizations and associations, and will be implemented in practice.

The main feature of this forum is its openness and willingness of the participants to jointly seek solutions to the most important problems of our time, their ability to accept different points of view, their ability to respect the arguments and evidence of the parties. Perhaps, this is the only way out in this direction, the value of dialogue as a promising, thoughtful tool. On its basis, it is possible to achieve truly significant results, create conditions for taking into account legitimate interests and achieving a balance, develop approaches that meet real situations and have great potential, reach agreements on the most complex issues, and establish positive relations. In this regard, the forum identified the correct, viable geopolitical and economic directions aimed at the long term.

The content and directions of the speeches at the forum were focused on the future, opened up broad areas of strategic planning and set an example of systematic analysis of world trends in priority areas, politics, economics, the socio-humanitarian sphere, and a number of issues of sustainable development. I believe that the speeches of the heads and members of the delegations, the discussions held on a wide range of issues clearly demonstrated that we are all united by a fundamental, genuine, and irreversible common understanding - the need to create a single, indivisible system of security and development that meets the interests of all peoples of the world. The creation of such a system is possible only if there are fundamental conditions such as willpower, mutual trust, and high responsibility for the fate of the world. In order to promote these concepts and make them a determining factor in world policy, 2025 was declared the “Year of International Peace and Trust”.

Dear forum participants!

Dear friends!

We conclude the forum. This event confirmed that the values ​​expressed in the name of peace and trust are gaining more and more supporters, that they are not a slogan, but concrete concepts, that they are a real condition for world development, a moral pillar and driving force for effective relations and cooperation. Of course, there are still great tasks ahead to establish these principles, to strengthen them in the minds of people and in political practice. But there is no doubt that we are on the right track. Therefore, I am confident that the Ashgabat forum, the creative initiatives it has created, will contribute to future joint work and will give concrete results in the interests of peace and the development of humanity.

"On behalf of the President of Turkmenistan and the Turkmen people, I express my sincere gratitude to all delegations for their participation in the forum, their meaningful speeches and initiatives. I sincerely congratulate you on the International Day of Neutrality and the upcoming new year - 2026. I wish you all good health and new successes."